Showing posts with label Barksdale AFB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barksdale AFB. Show all posts

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Take a Trip to the Eighth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest

Barksdale Air Force Base hosted its eighth annual Oktoberfest celebration last night in support of Operation Bright Holiday which is a fundraiser to bring airmen home for Christmas.  The first year they did this, they were able to send seventeen airmen home for the holidays; last year, over ninety servicemen and women were able to spend Christmas with their families because of this event.

It's a very good cause, indeed!

The team at BAFB that stages this event works for months in preparation.  Col. Anderson is a perennial organizer of this event and is always aided by a great crew; this year Lt. Monique Roux headed things up and I know there were many others in assist.  While the event has many of the same favorite contests from year to year, there is always some new twist or event that keeps it fresh every year; the organizers learn from previous years and so each year the event is better and better.

For example, the first year there were not nearly enough beer taps - only five.  The lines were ridiculously long. The next year there were fifteen; a huge improvement.  The first year they ran out of beer within an hour -- the next year there was plenty of beer.  I learned from experience too; bring a giant beer stein from home and you don't have to stand in line nearly as often as everyone else!

We were, as always, the first to arrive; they were still setting up when we got there.



We had plenty of food, fun, beer, and music last night.



Dinner was Jaeger Schnitzel, brats, green beans with onions, cucumber dill salad, chicken, German potatoes, and giant pretzels.  For dessert, German Chocolate cake.

Our fried Jerry came with us this year.



The band loved Jerry and dubbed him "Luigi."  They even played a song for him.



The band was the very talented Alpenmusikanten who has played this event from the first year.  These guys are incredibly talented musicians and are very much in demand during Oktoberfest season.  We are very grateful that they continue to return to BAFB and support this event!

I lifted my camera to take a photo and Wolfgang shouted "Picture!" in the middle of their song and they posed.


They work the crowd and make certain everyone has a good time.

The children dominated the dance floor in the early evening and it was huge fun watching them run in circles and dance.  The band would cue them on occasion: "OK kids, everyone SCREAM!" And they did.  And then the cue: "STOP!" and they did.  Col. Anderson led them in the Chicken Dance.



We took the obligatory Oktoberfest pictures, sort of.



The contests were back. I sat out of the costume contest this year.  I'm glad I did -- a guy with a baby won.  How can you compete against that?!

There was the Shoe Slapping Contest.



There was a yodeling contest too, but I was in a beer line and missed that.

The band encourages a lot of audience participation: this is volunteer Margaret on the washboard.



She did a great job!

The Hand Jive:



There was no Yard Drinking contest this year, which made me sad.

The annual homage to beer:



We were, as always, the very last to leave.



I'm already waiting for next year!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Oktoberfest: My Favorite Holiday is Here


Oktoberfest 2015 has officially kicked off in Munich:  "O'zapft is!"

The annual celebration is expected to bring six million visitors this year.

There is no more Bacchanalian festival in existence with perhaps Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  It's obviously my favorite holiday -- I have blogged at least 47 times about it.

Locally, Shreveport has joined the nation in forming their own version of Oktoberfest which will be Sunday, September 25 at Zocolo on Ashley Ridge.   It is $20 to purchase a buffet pass, but you don't have to pay just to get in.  If you plan on drinking, beer is $6.00; live music will be via Professor Pork Chop.

Steve and I will be attending the annual Oktoberfest festivities at Barksdale Air Force Base on October 2; this is a fundraiser for Operation Bright Star which brings airmen home for the holidays.  We have attended all seven years so far; this one makes eight.  We have the proud honor of being the first to come and the last to leave each year.

I was honored to win the costume contest two years but got robbed last year; an indignity I hope to remedy this year.

No, seriously, it's all in good fun and this is a celebration that gets better every year.



The food is great.



The beer is cold and plentiful.



And what better way to celebrate than partying with the men and women of our military?



And it's for a great cause.  Doesn't get any better than that. Tickets are available at the Barksdale Club.

Can't wait!

This might get you in the mood:

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Take a Trip to the Barksdale AFB First Annual Luau

In celebration of  Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Barksdale Air Force Base held its first annual Luau yesterday.

The Luau was well attended and the tables were nearly full when Steve and I got there around 5:30.  Luckily we found some friends that we could sit with!

I have to admit, I got a little teary when we parked behind Hangar 2 and I walked past Joy's parking place and of course there was no little silver Miata convertible there.   I still miss our Joy.  

 We got our arm bands for the food and a couple of drinks; we said hello to our friends Tay and Rose.  I didn't get my usual picture with Rose because she was busy getting food ready but here is me (needing to lose a few pounds) and the beautiful, sweet Tay:


I'm going to put this on my refrigerator so I can get motivated to start running again.

They had long rows of tents set up where you could sample more than forty food items from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Hawaii.  It smelled fabulous!  They also had a couple of pigs roasting!  Margaritaville Casino donated much, if not all, of the food for the event.  Great supporters of the military at Margaritaville!


It was a tasty pig.  I ate some.

Luckily we got in the food line pretty early because that line snaked all through and around the festival site.  It was a crazy-long line, but moved pretty quickly.


I didn't get a sample of everything that was offered but I did get a full plate.  I loved the spicy cole slaw and there was some chicken or pork on a stick that was really good.


Yes, I had two beers sitting there; I didn't want to stand in the uber long beer line again.

We ate and visited with friends for a while and then went to watch the entertainment.  While I was in the food line there was one of those cool Chinese dragons in the performance area but I missed it and the Lion puppet, too.  The dragon was beautiful -- gold and sparkling in the late evening light.  I hate I missed it.

I did catch the Japanese taiko drum performance, though:



By this time the crowd was huge.


The food line went on for hours.

After the Japanese drummers there was a beautifully costumed lady dancing and tossing rose petals.


Later there was a hula dance that was awesome; the ladies danced, then these guys came out and danced, and later they all danced together.


I wish I knew the names for these dances but I don't.  They were fascinating to watch, though.

There was a cool fire dance:



After the cultural performances, our favorite DJ, Larry, opened the floor for dancing while all the volunteers worked to clean up after the festival.  Of course once he started to play "Wobble" the floor filled up!


One of the performance dancers came out and danced for a while; I got a great video of him dancing the Wop.  He was like a rubber band!  Great dancer!



Folks eventually began to dwindle away and go home.  By 10 or 10:30 it was just these cool kids doing the "Thriller" dance:


Steve and I hung out until the last song, or close to it before packing it up and heading home.

It was a great night and a really fun festival.  The staff at BAFB did a great job considering this was the first Luau; they will tweak some things for next year I'm sure.  This was no Oktoberfest -- there was one beer truck and a location to get mixed drinks, but for the most part this was a true family event with lots of things for the kids to see and do.  And there were indeed lots of kids there.

We had a great time and look forward to next year!  Meanwhile, there is Oktoberfest coming up....it'll be here before you know it!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Doolittle Raider Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole Accepts Spirit of Independence Award

Yesterday, Shreveport hosted the AdvoCare Independence Bowl; as is the tradition at the bowl, the Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award was presented.

The award is presented each year to outstanding American citizens, or organizations, who symbolize the spirit of freedom and independence on which our country was founded.

This year it was presented to the Doolittle Raiders; accepting the award for the Raiders was Lt. Col.  Richard E. Cole, age 98.  He was the co-pilot with Doolittle in the first plane that took off from the USS Hornet.

After the Empire of Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle led a group of 79 other volunteers on a secret and dangerous retaliatory mission against the Japanese. The men did not know the details of their mission until they were aboard the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Hornet. 
The mission of the Doolittle Raiders, also known as the Tokyo Raiders, involved flying 16 U.S. Army B-25B Mitchell bombers off of the USS Hornet in a bombing run aimed at the Japanese mainland. 
Because it would be impossible to land the bombers on the aircraft, after the crews dropped their bombs, they were to land in China. However, still 650 nautical miles from Japan, the USS Nashville sunk a Japanese patrol boat, sending warning to Japan that an attack was coming. 
Doolittle decided to launch the attack 10 hours and 170 miles ahead of schedule. The Raiders hit their targets in Japan, but lacked the fuel to reach the safe airfields in China. Fifteen of the 16 crews crash-landed or baled out; one landed in the Soviet Union.
Three men drowned crashing into the ocean, while eight were taken captive by the Japanese. Three of the captives were executed, and the other five were imprisoned. Four men survived the imprisonment, but one did not make it through the deplorable conditions. 
Despite the fact that the raid did not cause the amount of damage as was hoped, it was still viewed as a success because it proved that the Japanese were not as impervious to attack as once believed. It also boosted the morale of United States’ soldiers and citizens alike. 
After the attack on Japan, many of the Doolittle Raiders continued to fight in the war. Twelve of the surviving Raiders were killed in combat. 
For their bravery and valor, all 80 Raiders received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The men who were imprisoned were awarded the Purple Heart, two men received the Silver Star and Doolittle earned the Medal of Honor.

While in Shreveport, Cole was able to visit Barksdale Air Force Base where he was honored at a luncheon and toured a B-52 bomber.

During the Independence Bowl there was a flyover of a B-25 bomber.

Here is video (around 1:26) of Lt. Col. accepting the award:



Go here to learn more about the Doolittle Raiders.

(H/T:  Tim Fletcher)

Photo credit:  Doolittle Raider
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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Take a Trip to the Sixth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest



The sixth annual BAFB Oktoberfest celebration is in the books and it just keeps on getting better each year!  The volunteers and groups that worked on this year's festival outdid themselves.

The Oktboerfest celebration is a huge fundraiser for Operation Bright Holiday which sends airmen home for Christmas.  Last year they were able to send 43 airmen home all over the world for Christmas.

There were a few changes this year:  the tent set-up was different and much better.  There was much more room and even at the peak there was plenty of seating.  

There was a beer garden area this year with high tables and umbrellas.



Inside, there was an expanded jumble of activities for the kids, called "Kinderfest," which included a jump rope contest, Bingo, and other kid-friendly activities.  

When we arrived, I had to go find my friend Rose; she's always working at the entrance, so she was easy to find:


She's one of the sweetest, strongest ladies I know, and is great fun!  We found someone to take our picture for us:


She had work to do, though, so I had to move on.  

Near the entrance, and later moved to the middle of the dance floor, was a huge collection box for donations for the Operation Bright Holiday fund.


I really wanted to see that thing just stuffed with cash by the end of the night!

Also new this year was a home-brew competition.  


There were three contenders set up in tents on the deck by Hangar 2.  There was a raspberry Oktoberfest, an IPA, and I missed what the third one was.


I walked around and took some pictures (which rubbed a blister on my foot because I was wearing ridiculous shoes) and gave a silent nod to my friend Joy as I walked by the Hangar.  We lost Joy to cancer last month and this was the first Oktoberfest without her.  I missed her.



Your $25 ticket to Oktoberfest included your dinner, an Oktoberfest mug, a raffle ticket, and two beers.  Quite a deal!  All the food was set up inside, near the Kinderfest activities, and it was excellent.  I remember the first year: it was set up outside the club on the deck.  They basically had potato salad, brats, and pretzels.  They've come a long, long way in six years!  This year we had jaeger schnitzel, brats, cucumber-dill salad, German potato salad, buttered green beans with fried onions, and a huge pretzel.


I also bought a commemorative mug; even though they gave us plastic ones with our ticket, I liked the big, glass one.  Steve bought a t-shirt and I bought a mug.  Go figure.


The regular band for this event is Dallas-based AlpenMusikanten, and boy do these guys stay busy this time of year!  They are constantly doing Oktoberfest events all over the country.  They are a lot of fun and really work the crowd.  They play literally everything from Johnny Cash to traditional polkas.  The kids loved them, too!


By this time the crowd was about at its peak:


I was told they sold over 800 tickets and I believe most of them showed up.  I know some people buy tickets just because it's a good cause and don't actually attend, but I think they had a huge crowd last night.

Steve's son Josh and his "Feyonce," Heather, came with us; this picture is a little blurry but I like it anyway:


They are getting married next month and we are very excited!

After dinner the dancing started picking up a bit.    DJ Larry asked me if I'd learned the "Thriller" dance yet; of course not.  Maybe by next year.  Larry is a great DJ and we love his tunes!  He knows how to keep the crowd on their feet all night long.



We did the Chicken Dance a couple of times, and they played The Wobble, of course, but I skipped that one!


Steve did the Hokey Pokey, and Heather and I did the "Electric Slide."


Yes, I'm barefooted.  Had to come out of those shoes.

One minor glitch this year was that, for some reason, they kept blowing breakers.  The band never missed a beat, though, and just kept on playing whenever it happened.  Eventually they figured out to have someone near the box and so the electricity would come right back on.  Through the night, though, the crowd kind of got into it and so whenever the lights would go, we'd all whoop and cheer and then they'd come back on and we'd carry on.  I caught these guys trying to diagnose the problem:


Another fun crowd-moment was when they played "Freebird" we all held up the flashlights on our phones, swayed back and forth, and sang along!

The night would not be complete without the annual Oktoberfest games and this year they had a yodeling contest and a yard-drinking contest.  If they did the keg roll this year, I missed it.  And I guess they decided not enough folks were dressed up for the costume contest.  I won that one two years in a row!  Both years I won gift certificates for fine meals at the casinos.  Last year, I lost to a guy dressed like a keg!  No costume contest this year though.  Boo.  

But the yard drinking contest was fun and they had a lot of participants for that one!


And here they go:


Watch the guy in green:



Winner!:


They also had a shield decorating contest and this one was the winner:


It was excellent and I thought very well done.

Shortly after that it was time for the "Guacamole Song" which required volunteers:


And, of course, the Hand Jive was next:


Col. Anderson absolutely ROCKS the Hand Jive every year!  

The night went on, we danced, we took a "selfie":


...and before you know it, we were again at the end of the night.  

First to come, last to leave - EVERY year!  And that's the way we roll.


I spoke to one of the organizers last night about the possibility of making online donations to Operation Bright Holiday and when I get that information from her I will post it here if anyone is interested in helping to send an airman home for the holidays.  By the end of the night their collection box was by no means full but people were dropping bills into it all night long.  I have no idea what they ended up raising but all the tip jars at the beer stands were designated for Operation Bright Holiday as well.  Kudos to all the volunteers and organizers this year, and thanks for your hard work!  We had a ball!

Once again, we survived Oktoberfest!  Until next year...

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation


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